Shoe with removable portions

ABSTRACT

A shoe with removable portions wherein each removable portion can be separately washed or replaced. The shoe with removable portions comprises a sole portion, an insole portion, and an upper portion, wherein the sole portion and upper portion are removably secured to each other via a fastener. The sole portion includes a first fastener disposed at an upper edge around a perimeter thereof. The upper portion includes a base and a sidewall forming an interior volume with an open end, wherein a second fastener is disposed around a perimeter of the base. The insole portion includes a perimeter that fits within the perimeter of the sole portion, such that the insole portion can be placed between the base of the upper portion and the sole portion when the first fastener and second fastener are removably secured to one another.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No.62/464,163 filed on Feb. 27, 2017. The above identified patentapplication is herein incorporated by reference in its entirety toprovide continuity of disclosure.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to shoes. More specifically, the presentinvention provides a shoe with removable portions. In a preferredembodiment, the shoe is configured as a slipper, wherein the removableportions of the slipper are washable. Further, it is contemplated thatwhen a removable portion becomes worn from repeated use, the wornportion can be interchanged with a new portion, such that a user doesnot have to purchase an entirely new shoe.

Shoes are often worn on a frequent basis and can typically become soiledwith dirt or develop undesirable odors. Unfortunately, simply placing apair of shoes into a washing machine may not adequately clean the innerportion of the shoe. In most cases the inner portion is often the sourceof unpleasant odors, as the dark area can be a breeding ground forodorous bacteria. As a result, many people choose to simply replacetheir shoes or slippers on a frequent basis, which can be expensive,inconvenient, and environmentally unfriendly. Accordingly, a shoe thatincludes removable portions that can be separately washed or replaced isneeded.

In light of the devices disclosed in the known art, it is submitted thatthe present invention substantially diverges in design elements from theknown art and consequently it is clear that there is a need in the artfor an improvement to existing shoes. In this regard the instantinvention substantially fulfills these needs.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In view of the foregoing disadvantages inherent in the known types ofshoes now present in the known art, the present invention provides a newshoe with removable portions wherein the same can be utilized forproviding convenience for the user when washing or replacing portions ofa shoe.

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a new andimproved shoe with removable portions that has all of the advantages ofthe known art and none of the disadvantages.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a shoe withremovable portions comprising a sole portion, an insole portion, and anupper portion, wherein the sole portion and upper portion are removablysecured to each other via a fastener.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a shoe withremovable portions, wherein the sole portion includes a first fastenerdisposed at an upper edge around a perimeter thereof, the upper portionincludes a base and a sidewall forming an interior volume with an openend, wherein a second fastener is disposed around a perimeter of thebase, and wherein the insole portion includes a perimeter that fitswithin the perimeter of the sole portion, such that the insole portioncan be placed between the base of the upper portion and the sole portionwhen the first fastener and second fastener are removably secured to oneanother.

Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a shoe withremovable portions, wherein the fastener is a zipper.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a shoe withremovable portions that may be readily fabricated from materials thatpermit relative economy and are commensurate with durability.

Other objects, features and advantages of the present invention willbecome apparent from the following detailed description taken inconjunction with the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTIONS OF THE DRAWINGS

Although the characteristic features of this invention will beparticularly pointed out in the claims, the invention itself and mannerin which it may be made and used may be better understood after a reviewof the following description, taken in connection with the accompanyingdrawings wherein like numeral annotations are provided throughout.

FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of an embodiment of the shoe withremovable portions.

FIG. 2 shows an exploded view of an embodiment of the shoe withremovable portions.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Reference is made herein to the attached drawings. Like referencenumerals are used throughout the drawings to depict like or similarelements of the shoe with removable portions. For the purposes ofpresenting a brief and clear description of the present invention, thepreferred embodiment will be discussed as a shoe having a sole portion,an insole portion, and an upper portion, wherein each portion isremovable from the other portions, such that each portion may beseparately washed or replaced by a user. In this way, each of therespective portions of the shoe may be replaced or washed when desired,allowing for an extended lifetime of the shoe without having to replacethe entire unit. It is further contemplated that when in use, a pair ofshoes with removable portions will be worn by a user, but forsimplicity, only a single shoe will be discussed in the figures. Thefigures are intended for representative purposes only and should not beconsidered to be limiting in any respect.

Referring now to FIG. 1, there is shown a perspective view of anembodiment of the shoe with removable portions. The shoe with removableportions 11 comprises a sole portion 12, an insole portion, and an upperportion 14, wherein the upper portion 14 removably secures to the soleportion 12 via a fastener 15. In the illustrated embodiment, thefastener 15 is a zipper that extends around a perimeter of the shoe 11.However, in alternative embodiments, the fastener 15 may be any suitablefastener, such as, a button or hook and loop material. The upper portion14 includes a base and a sidewall 19 forming an interior volume with anopen end 20, wherein the open end 20 is configured to receive a foot.The upper portion 14 is constructed of a flexible material, such asnylon, fleece, or wool. However, any suitable material can be used.

Referring now to FIG. 2, there is shown an exploded view of anembodiment of the shoe with removable portions. In the illustratedembodiment, the sole portion 12 of the shoe 11 includes a recess 26 on alower surface 27 thereof, wherein the recess 26 is configured to grip aground surface when walking. In the illustrated embodiment, the recess26 is disposed between the heel end and the toe end of the sole portion12. However, in other embodiments, multiple recesses 26 may be disposedalong the lower surface 27 thereof. In an alternative embodiment, suchas a slipper, the lower surface 27 comprises a flat surface with norecess. The sole portion 12 is constructed of a durable material, suchas rubber. However, any suitable material may be used.

The shoe with removable portions 11 includes an insole portion 13 thatis configured to fit between the base 18 of the upper portion 14 and anupper surface of the sole portion 12 when the upper portion 14 and soleportion 12 are removably secured together. The insole portion 13includes a perimeter 17 that is adapted to fit at a close tolerancewithin a perimeter 16 of the sole portion 12 of the shoe 11. In theillustrated embodiment, the perimeter 16 of the sole portion 12, theperimeter 17 of the insole portion 13, and the perimeter 22 of the base18 of the upper portion 14 each comprise a shape that substantiallymatches a bottom of a foot.

In some embodiments, the insole portion 13 may include a separate heelinsert 25 configured to match the heel end of the insole portion 13. Inthe illustrated embodiment, the heel insert 25 comprises a semi-circularshape. However, the heel insert 25 may comprise any suitable shape. Boththe insole portion 13 and the heel insert 25 are constructed of a paddedmaterial configured to provide a comfortable support for a user's foot.In this way, a user can separate the removable upper portion 14 andlower portion 12 in order to add the separate heel insert 25 to theinsole 13 when desiring more support for their heel.

In the illustrated embodiment, the fastener 15A, 15B is a zipper,wherein the fastener comprises a first fastener 15A disposed around aperimeter 16 at an upper edge 23 of the sole portion 12, and a secondfastener 15B disposed around a perimeter 22 of the base 18 of the upperportion 14. In the illustrated embodiment, the first fastener 15A andsecond fastener 15B are configured to removably secure to each othersuch that there are no openings between the upper portion 14 and soleportion 12 of the shoe 11. In this way, when the shoe 11 is worn by auser, the user's foot is completely secured therein. In use, once aportion 12, 13, 14 of the shoe 11 becomes dirty or odorous, the user cansimply remove said portion and thoroughly clean it. Further, if theportion becomes worn, the user can replace the warn portion withouthaving to replace the entire shoe.

It is therefore submitted that the instant invention has been shown anddescribed in what is considered to be the most practical and preferredembodiments. It is recognized, however, that departures may be madewithin the scope of the invention and that obvious modifications willoccur to a person skilled in the art. With respect to the abovedescription then, it is to be realized that the optimum dimensionalrelationships for the parts of the invention, to include variations insize, materials, shape, form, function and manner of operation, assemblyand use, are deemed readily apparent and obvious to one skilled in theart, and all equivalent relationships to those illustrated in thedrawings and described in the specification are intended to beencompassed by the present invention.

Therefore, the foregoing is considered as illustrative only of theprinciples of the invention. Further, since numerous modifications andchanges will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is notdesired to limit the invention to the exact construction and operationshown and described, and accordingly, all suitable modifications andequivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of theinvention.

I claim: 1) A shoe with removable portions, comprising: a sole portionhaving a first fastener disposed around a perimeter thereof; an insoleportion, wherein a perimeter of the insole portion is configured to fitwithin the perimeter of the sole portion; and an upper portion, whereinthe upper portion includes a base and a sidewall forming an interiorvolume with an open end, wherein the open end is configured to receive afoot; wherein the upper portion includes a second fastener disposedaround a perimeter of the base, wherein the first fastener on the soleportion is configured to removably secure to the second fastener of theupper portion. 2) The shoe with removable portions of claim 1, whereinthe first fastener of the sole portion is disposed at an upper edgearound the perimeter thereof. 3) The shoe with removable portions ofclaim 1, wherein the insole portion comprises a padded material. 4) Theshoe with removable portions of claim 1, wherein each the perimeter ofthe sole portion, the perimeter of the insole portion, and the perimeterof the upper portion comprise a shape that substantially matches abottom of a foot. 5) The shoe with removable portions of claim 1,wherein the sole portion is constructed of a rubber material. 6) Theshoe with removable portions of claim 1, wherein the first fastener andthe second fastener are a zipper. 7) The shoe with removable portions ofclaim 1, wherein the upper portion comprises a flexible material. 8) Theshoe with removable portions of claim 1, wherein the sole portionincludes a recess on a lower surface between a heel end and a toe end.9) The shoe with removable portions of claim 1, wherein the insoleportion includes a heel insert configured to match a heel end thereof.